Fire-iron.



No. 650,539. Patented May 29, I900. G. T. LAWSON &. A. A. PITT.

FIRE IRON.

(Application filed June 27, 1699.)

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GRIFFITH THOMAS LA\VSON, OF MELBOURNE, AND ALBERT ANDREW PITT,

OF ST. KILDA, VICTORIA.

FIRE-IRON.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 650,539, dated May 29, 1900. Application filed June 27, 1899. Serial No. 722,088. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that we, GRIFFITH THOMAS LAWSON, residing at No. 528 Collins street, Melbourne, and ALBERT ANDREW PITT, residing at Marystreet, St. Kilda, in the Colony of Victoria, subjects of the Queen of Great Britain, have invented a certain new and usef ul Improved Fire-Iron, of which the following is a specification.

The fire-irons usually employed consist of a poker and tongs. Ve have devised a combination utensil or fire-iron which is adapted for use both as a poker and as tongs, according to the desire of the person employing it. By our invention the cost of aset of fire-irons is thus reduced, while at the same time it provides a fire-iron more convenient for ordinary use.

In order to make the invention clear,we will now refer to the accompanying sheet of drawings, in which Figure 1 shows a side view of our fire-iron in its closed position; Fig. 2, a plan of same; Fig. 3, a similar View to Fig. 1, but with the tool in its open position. Fig. 4: shows a section taken on line A A, Fig. 1.

In the drawings, a a represent two bars or rods,which are preferably semicircular in section, (see Fig. 4,) but may be hexagonal or of other section. The meeting faces of these rods are arranged to lie closely against one another. Each rod has a circular portion 1), which is bored and rabbeted and is extended to form a handle 0, the circular rabbeted portions being arranged to lie within one another and being held together by a headed pin 61, so forming a hinge which will allow of the pivotal movement of the rods, the pin being held in posit-ion by a block-washer e, screw-nut, rivet, or the like. The handles aforesaid have fiat meeting faces and have beveled portions f at the edges of the meeting faces. These beveled cuts prevent the flesh of the hand being caught between the faces when employing the fire-iron and also provide a means for forcing open the fire-iron when it is desired to use it as tongs. A portion 9 of the rods is preferably squared near their ends and their ends more or less dullpointed. The fire-iron as representedin Fig. 1 will thus form a circular rod when closed, and although in two main pieces will for all practical purposes form a single rod or bar usable as a poker in the ordinary manner and which is readily convertible into fire-tongs by forcing apart the handles, so as to cause the opposite ends to open for use in the ordinary manner as tongs.

We do not confine ourselves to any particular section for the rod or handles or to the exact construction of the hinge; but we desire it to be understood that the hinge at I) should be of a broad description, so as to afford a very strong construction at that point to keep the members a a in true line with one another.

Having now particularly described and ascertained'the nature of our said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what We claim is- A poker comprising two rods hinged together each rod having a handle portion with a flat face to engage the flat face of the other handle portion, said handle portions having beveled surfaces extending along the edges of the flat meeting surfaces whereby when the handle parts are brought together recesses or grooves will be presented extending longitudinally of the handle at the meeting faces, substantially as described.

Signed atMelbourne, in the Colony of Victoria, Australia, this 15th day of May, 1899.

GRIFFITH THOMAS LAWSON. ALBERT ANDREIV PITT. Witnesses:

A. O. SAoHsE, A. HARKER. 

